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I'd like some input, but it's non BC


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I have 3 corgis and will, eventually, have a BC. I am taking lessons with Mark Billadeau (Pipedream Farm) and Mark and Renee's fantastic Starr.

 

I tried asking a pack dynamics question on a corgi board and I don't feel like I got very much out of it.

 

May I beg your indulgence on this pack behaviour question, even if it's for house elves and not real dogs? :rolleyes:

 

If this is just bad form, please ignore me and I'll go back to lusting after BC puppy pictures. :D

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Thank you. :rolleyes:

 

The question is, I have three corgies. Two females, adopted as adults. I think they did not have cush house lives prior to living with me. They are now 10-ish. One is the alpha, the other has been the beta. The beta is completely shy and retiring. She is the corgi version of Ghandi. I have had these dogs three years now.

 

The third corgi is a 1 1/2 yo female I got from the local shelter. She's been the bottom man on the pole, but she has social climbing aspirations. I've had her about a year and she's both grown and found a purpose in life as the front yard guard dog, so she's maturing and feeling pretty full of herself.

 

Would you allow the youngest to stage what will amount to a bloodless coup over the beta dog?

 

And how, eventually, will I cope when she attempts the same with the now alpha dog? The now alpha is old and nearly toothless due to prior neglect, and not fierce in the slightest..the worst I've ever seen her do is grab and hold on...but she does hold on. And she holds a grudge.

 

If I allow the switch to take place...and in reality, it would have a while ago if I hadn't held out..would it be normal for an older dog to stress? She tends to be a bit stressy anyway.

 

OR do I stand ground and continue to enforce the status quo? If I do enforce the status quo, given this little dog's persistence, I don't think it's going to be just a few weeks of being vigilant, with a few reminders here and there. I'm going to be constantly squashing this dog.

 

I've never had three all living in the same place at the same time, so I'm just getting used to this.

 

Or am I navel gazing and should I be paying more attention to the sheep sized dust bunnies in the hallway?

 

:D Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

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As long as it's bloodless, I don't see why the younger dog can't take her place at the top. My Maggie dog was always sort of an insecure leader, so when Zhi arrived and clearly made her wishes to be top dog know - I was a little nervous.

 

When Zhi was near adulthood, the transition took place without my even noticing.

 

My basic rule is, if it doesn't annoy you, leave it alone.

 

Your dust bunnies are only sheep sized?

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Yeah.... my dust bunnies are around elephant-sized by now. :rolleyes:

 

I did a lot of worrying about pack order with Oreo and my brother's dog... and like Rebecca, it all went over so smoothly I felt a little foolish. Not that it always goes that way... but personally, I just watch closely to see how they interact and make sure no one is getting hurt, but I let them sort it out.

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I used to own a BC who ruled with an iron fist. When a younger male took over it was bloodless, though certainly not gentle. They had a scary one minute fight during which they looked like they could kill each other. The younger male flipped the older male on his back and held him by the throat until he gave up. They never so much as lifted a lip at each other after that.

 

Believe it or not, the older male was happier because he didn't feel the need to guard everything anymore. He mellowed out, became best friends with the younger male and was perfectly happy to be the back up instead of the leader. It is stressful and takes a lot of work to be top dog. Only the supremely confident dogs are happy being the leader of the pack.

 

As long as no one is a bully let them work it out on their own; it will make for a more peaceful house in the long run.

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Would you allow the youngest to stage what will amount to a bloodless coup over the beta dog?
I don't think it's a matter of "allowing." No one can take a group of dogs and say, "I'm going to make this one the 'alpha,' this one the 'beta,'" etc. Each dog will be what it is.

 

You can certainly impose order and see to it that the new dog doesn't act like a bully, but the dogs will always know where each one really stands in relation to the others. The important thing is that all the dogs feel safe.

 

[i have six dogs: four border collie bitches and two pit bulls, a male and a female. Interesting to watch the pack dynamics cool2.gif ]

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Yes, you're right, you put it much better than I did.. "You can certainly impose order and see to it that the new dog doesn't act like a bully, but the dogs will always know where each one really stands in relation to the others. The important thing is that all the dogs feel safe."

 

They aren't competing over necessities, it's niceties, like who gets to go up the stairs first.

 

It's that kind of thing I can set the tone for, I just wasn't sure whether I should even try.

 

I'm getting the picture...no.

 

It's rare for me to own the creatures in my care. I tend to err on the side of whatever my liability insurance will stand behind, and usually it's not letting them get through it, even though in normal herd/pack situations, that is the way to do it.

 

Thank you all for your thoughts, I appreciate them.

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They aren't competing over necessities, it's niceties, like who gets to go up the stairs first.

 

It's that kind of thing I can set the tone for, I just wasn't sure whether I should even try.

 

I'm getting the picture...no.

Which dog goes upstairs or through doors first, based on all I've seen, has zero, zip, nada to do with rank, IMHO. It has to do with who is fastest or most eager at the moment. For several years now, the first dog to race up the stairs ahead of everyone else in my household has been the "lowest-ranking" border collie bitch. (If I feel like going first, I say, "Follow me.")

 

By all means set the tone, let the "omega" join you on the sofa when you like, or give the "beta" a treat before everyone else. You decide, and they'll accept the decision and like it, by gosh Yeahright2.gif

 

I'm not for letting adult dogs "work out" their relationships through fighting/bullying. If you're unlucky enough to have a pair of dogs who'd as soon fight to the death as look at each other, then the kindest thing to do is rehome one of them. More often, though, dogs can learn to be civil to each other.

 

Corgis are fun little dogs! I've known a bunch, all living in multiple-corgi homes. Here's a friend's girl, Wiley, who is slimmer these days but still cute:

 

PrettyWiley.jpg

 

I've been putting tags around words like "alpha" because the groups of dogs I know best don't follow the hierarchical model too closely. The important thing is that the dogs defer to moi. cool2.gif

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